What we can learn from Bryson DeChambeau's swing

We hear a lot about about Bryson DeChambeau’s swing, particularly with his irons, but there is a lot to look at and like about his moves with the driver.

One thing I notice with DeChambeau’s swing is that he gets more loaded at the top of the swing. When we see him with the irons his arms and shaft are in line at address and almost stay that way through the swing.

With the driver that’s not the case…

Swing your swing. @B_DeChambeau averaged 305.5 yards off the tee last season. #LiveUnderPar pic.twitter.com/TQHxZVo55X

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) November 1, 2018

DeChambeau definitely creates a different turn with the driver, he gets a little bit more behind the ball and he creates a massive shoulder turn and a really big hip turn all the way to the top of the backswing. And having really loaded the shoulders and hips the arms then follow that body rotation.

This is nowhere near as removed as from what the other players are doing with the driver as he is with his irons.

Bryson matching his SPEEDBACK driver in Hawaii. Nice swing too. (Sound on)

Repost @b_dechambeau IG #SentryTOC #KINGofSPEED pic.twitter.com/G6RzGqJvPz

— COBRA Golf (@cobragolf) January 2, 2019

This is really interesting as here, in Hawaii, he is trying to get the feeling of how he wants to deliver the clubhead and the height he wants to deliver it. We can see he’s trying to hit it shallow and up and connecting with right elbow and right side in the rehearsal.

He gets so fully loaded and then really unwinds so hard on the way through and, because everything’s so well matched, he hits it pretty much laser straight.

You would guess that his numbers are pretty neutral but the driver swing is less extreme than his iron swing where his arms are more upright and nearer his body and the arms then go more up and down.

This is a much more standard arc and there is more load in the shaft – it almost goes across the line but, on the way through, the arms are so well matched to his body that he is almost able to maintain that flex in his right elbow.

So, on the way through, he just uses that body turn to bring the club through at speed.

DeChambeau’s swing: What to practise

As we have said, DeChambeau’s swing is a lot more conventional so we can try and take something from this.

He doesn’t restrict his hip turn, he really loads everything, there’s no holding back and that pre-swing rehearsal is definitely something that we can all do, how we’d like to see our impact and the angle we want the club to come through at.

With the pre-shot rehearsal very few amateurs do much like this. Any pre-shot routine is always a full swing rather than how we want impact to look. Practise it at the range and, if it feels comfortable and helpful, take it to the course.

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Dan Whittaker is an elite golf swing and performance coach based at High Legh. For more information, visit his website.

Tom Irwin

Tom is a lifetime golfer, now over 30 years playing the game. 2023 marks 10 years in golf publishing and he is still holding down a + handicap at Alwoodley in Leeds. He has played over 600 golf courses, and has been a member of at least four including his first love Louth, in Lincolnshire. Tom likes unbranded clothing, natural fibres, and pencil bags. Seacroft in Lincolnshire is where it starts and ends.